The Steelers walked into Week 2 with a little offensive momentum and walked out with a mess.
After leaving some production on the table in their 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh had reason to believe the big plays were still there. Instead, the offense got swallowed up by the New England Patriots in a 20-3 loss, and nothing about the afternoon suggested a quick fix.
The numbers tell the story fast. The Steelers managed just 3.5 yards per play, went 2-of-12 on third down, and are now 5-of-25 on the season in that category.
Aaron Rodgers never found a rhythm, finishing 23-of-39 for 187 yards, a 4.5-yard average per attempt, and no trip over 200 yards. Pittsburgh also produced only one play of 20 or more yards.
The line was a major reason why. Rodgers was sacked four times and under pressure constantly, with the Patriots repeatedly collapsing the pocket. Dylan Cook had another rough outing, Spencer Anderson struggled again, and Troy Fautanu gave up two sacks, including the one that turned a 3rd-and-7 into 4th-and-43 after a strip sack.
The ground game showed a little more life than it did in Week 1, but 91 yards on 23 carries still left the Steelers short of anything dangerous. The blocking issues were so glaring that Mike McCarthy should be taking a hard look at Cook and Spencer Anderson, with a real case to be made for starting Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker in Week 3.
DK Metcalf’s day was rough too, and in a different way. The former Seahawk was targeted nine times, caught four passes for 27 yards, and had two drops, including one on 3rd-and-3 that would have moved the chains.
Through two weeks, he has eight receptions for 67 yards on 19 targets. For a player making north of $30 million per year, that’s a brutal start.
The defense did its part for as long as it could. Payton Wilson recovered a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble to end New England’s first drive, and Pittsburgh held the Patriots to 10 first-half points.
Patrick Queen then intercepted Drake Maye on the first drive of the second half. T.J.
Watt added three sacks, bringing his season total to 3.5, and the unit also helped force a missed field goal.
But every time the defense gave Pittsburgh a lifeline, the offense gave it right back. After the Wilson takeaway, the Steelers went three-and-out.
After Queen’s pick, they punted seven plays later. After the missed Patriots field goal, another three-and-out followed.
The dam eventually broke, but this one was not on the defense.
Now the Steelers turn to the Cincinnati Bengals, who are on track to move to 2-0 with a likely win over the Houston Texans and could arrive at 3-0 with a chance to seize early control of the AFC North. If Pittsburgh loses again, it will already be fighting to keep its footing before September is over.
In Other News...
Aaron Rodgers Just Created Another Steelers Distraction Off The Field
Aaron Rodgers has managed to keep the Steelers talking for reasons that have little to do with football after opening up on a podcast about the end of his broken engagement to Shailene Woodley. The conversation turned personal in a hurry when Rodgers described a painful detail from that relationship, and the topic quickly spilled into the sports media conversation as another reminder of how much attention follows him everywhere he goes.
Joy Taylor later called out Rodgers for choosing to share those details publicly, adding another layer to a story that has already drawn a mixed reaction online. Woodley has stayed mostly quiet, while Rodgers keeps moving ahead with his football life, but the off-field noise is the kind of thing Pittsburgh would rather not have hanging around as the season builds. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Drive Turned Into A Bizarre Mess Fans Need To See
A second-quarter Steelers drive in Week 2 against the Patriots took a strange turn on a third-and-7 snap when Christian Elliss forced the ball loose and sent it bouncing back behind the line of scrimmage. What followed was the kind of scramble that made the play feel longer than the drive itself, with several players converging on the loose ball before Troy Fautanu finally came away with it.
Pittsburgh still had to sort out the damage from the mess, and the result was a brutal 4th-and-43. For an offense trying to stay on schedule, it was the sort of sequence that can turn a promising series into a rescue mission in a hurry, and the kind of breakdown Steelers fans will want to watch again just to make sense of how it unraveled. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Run Game Concern Just Got Even More Serious
The Steelers backfield had already been under pressure after two quiet weeks on the ground, and Sunday against New England added another layer of concern. Rico Dowdle left late in the first half with a toe injury on a sack-fumble play, a setback that immediately put even more attention on a run game that has not found much rhythm early in the season.
Dowdle was listed as questionable to return, and if he is unable to get back in, Jaylen Warren would be lined up for most of the carries. For a Pittsburgh offense that has been searching for steadier production on the ground, the health of its backs now matters even more than the modest gains it has managed to piece together so far. [Read more 🡒]